Hushed whispers fill the air as the students begin to theorize and gossip amongst themselves.

"I've heard that the prince always had bad health." A voice murmurs. "But he's never missed a class before." Another chimes.

Finally, Professor Mallow seems to have had enough. "Silence." His voice echoes throughout the chamber, still amplified by his earlier invocation. This time, though, Brynn felt the slightest bit of persuasiveness that wasn't there before. As if compelling him to agree.

Soon after the whole lecture hall was dead silent. 

"Now, I don't want any more of this gossip or hearsay between you all during my time. We shall continue as usual, understood?"

"Good. Now, to the next topic." The professor continues. "Dealing with both magical and mundane ingredients in the field of alchemy, you'll find that some techniques are well beyond your capabilities as an individual. I do not care for that. Instead, I shall have it so that you all are assigned to another student to fill in whatever you are lacking."

Brynn feels his heart sink. 'I'm going to have to partner up with someone again?' 

Putting a hand against his forehead, he thinks back to all the other times he'd ever been forced to cooperate with anyone. Plenty of times had there been absolutely no input from his supposed partner. There were even some that risked themselves to sabotage his work. And when the time came for the presentation of whatever project he had to do alone, whoever his partner was, no matter how little they helped, they'd still be given credit.

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He only hoped that whoever he partnered with wouldn't try to pull him under.

The rest of the class, however, were already quietly murmuring amongst themselves. Some had an idea of who they wanted to partner up with. While others -- "This is our chance to get close to the prince~" -- were more enthusiastic about different things.

"Now, now. You all won't be able to decide who exactly you'll be partnered with." Professor Mallow pointedly states. "I'll be the one to choose." 

Disappointed sounds echo across the hall, to which the professor ignores as he begins carving a magical array into the air. Lights and energy begin to flow across the room as the images of the students, one by one, begin to appear on thin air as illusory pictures. Moving his fingers, Professor Mallow scans his papers, then motions towards one of the images and connects it to another, as if tethering them by a thread of light.

He continues to do so. Some of the students show reactions of dismay, others, satisfaction, as little by little the seats are connected by lines of light.

'This is fine', Brynn thought. Maybe he'll get lucky and get someone cooperative for once. Maybe. Hopefully.

As more and more people get paired together, the room becomes a mess of light strings of different colors. Oddly enough, though, there was one spot the lights never passed through. At the corner of the room, Brynn was yet to be assigned a partner. 

He's getting anxious now. As the amount of people yet to be paired dwindles, inversely was Brynn's mind racing ever quicker. Formulating scenarios in which he was assigned one of the few remaining students whose portraits floated in the air. There were still eight or so images hovering, three of which actively resented him. The others were more passive in their dislike of him. He preferred the latter.

Six, now. Two of the three resenting him being paired together.

Four. Two of the more passive ones.

Two. Another two of the passive ones.

Now it was between one Bern Briarthorne and Halsei Aconite. The former being one of the few whom speaked with him in the past before ultimately avoiding him like the plague, the latter being one of the many who shoulder checks him in the halls. Brynn's betting on the former.

As this passes through his mind, he sees the professor motion to the image of Halsei, to the dismay of Brynn. However, instead of connecting his and Halsei's portraits together, the professor moves his hand in the opposite direction, towards Bern's portrait.

Brynn stares at this, processing what just happened, before realizing that he's by himself. No partner, no help, but also no need for interacting with anyone else. He's free.

He tries to resist it, but a wide smirk plasters itself on his face. This is the best outcome he could ever have hoped for, and he didn't even hope for it. 'Maybe this time will be different, after all.' He muses in his mind.

Basking in the afterglow of that wonderful realization, Brynn leans back on his chair --

"Since the prince is absent, and since there is no one else available, Mr. Brynn shall be his partner."

-- And almost falls off of it.